Protecting Grill after Polishing?

[Jeff Wilk]

After spending a few hours dismantling and cleaning, and polishing, and polishing, and polishing, and polishing, all of the grill bullets and sections from just the corner units on our '59 Fleetwood we absolutely need to know what to coat them with to help protect the finish going forward?  They cleaned up so fantastically that we will be doing the 100 or so other bullets on the main section in the coming weeks (or months  ) so really hope there is something to put on them to retain the shine.

Jeff & Noah

[62droptop]

i have used POR 15 product called Glisten PC

it is a clear coat made for polished and chromed items,prteey tought stuff


i have had good luck with it and no really reduction in shine noticed

after doing your entire grill, you definitely do not waqnt to be doing that ever again

[Quentin Hall]

G'day Jeff, You really need to get the grill re anodised. I presume you had to strip the existing anodising off to polish it in the first place. Otherwise the aluminum will once again go dull. I got my 59 grill re anodised. Q

[52Cadillac]

62 that product sounds great. Another site recs using AP120 metal prep prior to use. but this must be for chrome, etc. How do you apply? It says it can be sprayed on.
Protect da shiny stuff.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Quentin Hall is giving you correct advice.

Once you polish aluminum to a brilliant shine, you've effectively removed
all of the anodizing.  No matter what type of wax or polish you put on it will
start to tarnish again.  This is especially true if you plan to drive the car.

Anodizing is relatively inexpensive.  Since you have the grille all apart,
now is the time take it to a place that does this work and get it finished.

Note that most normal chrome plating shops do not do anodizing as it is
completely different chemically from chrome plating.  You'll have to seek one
out.  Perhaps somebody in the forum can recommend one in your area.

Mike

[62droptop]

62 that product sounds great. Another site recs using AP120 metal prep prior to use. but this must be for chrome, etc. How do you apply? It says it can be sprayed on.
Protect da shiny stuff.

i used the products recommended by POR 15

the marine clean and the metal prep
the prep dulled the finish a bit, but once i brushed on the clear, it looked great

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

The aluminum "metal prep" removes the tarnish (aluminum oxide)- it's an acid based compound.  Yes, your grill  will look great after you're finished.

However the protection issue I mentioned is still a problem.  You need to
have it anodized or you will e doing this again a a few years or sooner.

NOW is the time to have that done!

Mike

[Jeff Wilk]

I thought that i heard that the anodizing process still required final buffing which ultimately removes all the corners and sharp edges on all the surfaces and that's not desirable. My grill is off my Arizona car and it has no pitting only dirt and dullness. I am only putting each piece on a buffing wheel with gray compound and then a final polish with green. the car is being done to be a highly respectable driver.

Wont a final protective coat keep that shine in place?  I am not stopping these down and then polishing the aluminum to a mirror finish.   Thoughts?   Frankly the cost of sending the 120+ grill Bullets and its other parts to a plater scares me.  Project way over planned budget already. Also mortified by the thought of a piece getting lost

Other thoughts based on this?

[Rob Troxel]

Jeff,

At best you are buying some time if you don't re annodize the grill. One is for sure, it won't get cheaper. No one said having a 59 is a cheap proposition but then you aleady know that.  Good luck!

[Glen]

Are these grilles anodized or alodined?  Googleing both of them I see anodize is a very strong color coating that can be red, blue or green.  Alodine is a process that leaves the aluminum a light translucent gold color.  Many aircraft parts and electronic chassis use the alodine process and when I was in the shipyard we had many waveguide pieces alodined.  From my experience it looks like carburetors are alodined at the factory. 

Both processes can be done at home.  The anodize process requires an electrical current like plating.  Alodine is simple.  You wash the part then use an etcher called Alumiprep 33, wash it again and soak it in the Alodine until it is done.  No buffing required. 

I believe the grill on my 68 ELDO was Alodined not anodized. 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

These grilles are just Aluminium coloured, so I don't know what the process was.

Bruce.

[Quentin Hall]

      The aluminium is definately anodised. Just like your aluminium framed house window frames.
  In the case of the grill in silver finish it is just called "clear anodised". When I restored my 59 grill I first of all removed the factory anodising with a mild caustic bath. Then I polished the bars and bullets on a buffer. The anodising is a hard coating which prevents the soft alum from the elements but it must be removed prior to buffing otherwise you can't really polish effectively. I made up a lathe spindle and polished the bullets individually.
       Then I went to my local anodiser in my case QLD Nameplates who already had a big rack with pins that was perfect for the bullets. I recall paying $250. Like diecast, alum has a tendency to have corrosion blemishes sometimes come from within during the plating process. Nevertheless I was very happy with the result . The critical surfaces are the leading edges of the flat bars and the concave bits on the bullets as they have usually copped a lot of road chips over the years. Get them right and most imperfections on the rest of the grill tend to get lost in reflections or in the complexity of the grill. I also flipped my horizontal bars upside down which was the better preserved surface.
      Or just contact Grant Owen in NZ who makes the whole grills brand new for a couple of grand or more. . .  but oh they are beautiful.   
       Regards. Q

[Grant Owen]

Anodising is not as simple as some seem to think. Before any polishing can take place the Anodising has to be striped off Hot Costic Soda is the process that is used for this , this doesn't take very long but if the Aluminium is left in the Costic Soda to long it will destroy the surface of the Aluminium . It can only take a few seconds to destroy the surface if it is left to long.

After it is stripped it will need polishing this will round the edges & destroy the original grain in the Aluminium it will also highlight any faults in the Aluminium which will show up allot worse after the Anodising process.

The Anodising process after the Aluminum is polished is not that simple this has to be done with someone with allot of experience I would suggest anyone check with the anosdiser they plan to use before they start the job , as most Anodisers are now only use to Anodising items like Aluminium windows which require more microns in the process.

The more microns the tougher the anodising will be , but the more microns the duller the Anodising will be.
Decorative work such as Car Grills & parts the Anodising process uses less microns.

Re anodising any Grille will make all the parts smaller & will highlight any fault in the Aluminium , you will end up with a Grille that will have Ill fitting parts & will rattle , The rattling will get worse the more the car is driven as the Bullets & Slats will become loser.

The other process that Glen talks about is the process used on parts like Carburetors , good chemical resistance but no good for Grills.

I hope all this makes sense.